No local politics today, sorry.

Just two random things that make me go, 'hmmmm'.

I am (in theory, anyway) disgusted that gossip from the set of the TV show, Mad Men, about the apparent tremendousness of lead actor John Hamm's -ahem- package made some front pages. At the same time, it gives me a certain degree of satisfaction to know there might perhaps finally be some gender parity when it comes to public purience.

On a somewhat similar note, it's disturbing that Justin Trudeau used his dad's iconic line, 'just watch me' already. I had been waiting for him to use it at his coronation, er, victory, in the federal Liberal leadership. I fear it may be a case of premature evocation.

Don't follow me - I don't know where I'm going!

So, I did it, and I feel as though I might regret it. Yup. I joined Twitter.

I have 14 followers since Tuesday.

Of course, I heard about Twitter years ago, and when I'm at work, I keep track of several feeds from the traffic cops and other news agencies.

I avoided joining, but this week I was feeling out of step with the world, especially since my 70 year old mother has become a prolific poster on facebook. I felt I had to do something to keep the digital divide wide enough that I can feel at least the teensiest bit young and cool.

Although, the way I figure it, if I've joined up, Twitter is probably just about over. Justin Bieber's rant yesterday was posted on Instagram, not to his 35 million Twitter followers, so maybe the social media action is all about Instagram now, and as with so many innovations, I find myself behind the curve yet again.

I've read that Twitter has one of the highest attrition rates in social media, and I can see why as I try to figure it out. I've already dumped one of the sites I was following for its sheer over-posting. Seriously, Huffington Post, I don't have time to scroll through all your stuff! But with 2,793,000 followers, you must be doing something right.

Chris Hadfield (526,000 followers) is certainly very interesting, but I don't know that I need quite as much material as he posts. Furthermore, doesn't he have work to do as Commander of the space station? He sometimes posts twice an hour!

One of my first followers, after some friends and fellow media-types, is Sandra Cooper, Mayor of Collingwood (13 followers, including me) whose three posts so far have been about where she is, like at which meeting. She joined Twitter at the end of February, and like me, doesn't yet have a photo associated with her feed. With all the upset surrounding town council, maybe opening a Twitter feed was seen as a way to demonstrate that ephemeral quality, 'openness' that many people are demanding. Or, maybe she, too, wanted to be cooler than her mother. It also could be a way to keep an eye on us in the media. Whatever the motivation, I'm guessing she's still trying to figure it all out, just like I am.

Maybe the town needs a Communications person or a consultant of some sort to help burnish its image and write those feeds. Then again, maybe not, since it was a consultant that led to those questions about 'conflict' issues last week, wasn't it?

the friend, the leader, his employer and her brother

Ok, my title isn't quite as catchy as the 80s cult movie, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, but it was the best I could come with in the absence of some of the more pithy writers in our local scene. The allusion just might work since it seems our town is figuratively eating some of its own, and that's what happens in the movie, although with Helen Mirren, it's not figurative. The movie was French, it was the late 80s; need I say more?

(Disclaimer: please know I am not trying to imply that any of the characters in the news story out of Collingwood last Friday is playing a role similar to any character named in the title of the aforementioned motion picture. I do not imply in any way that I consider or that I think you should consider any of the people named in the CBC story to be a chef or involved in cookery or theiving or cannibalism or, for that matter, loving. I use this particular movie title as a joke because the movie title features four characters and so does the CBC story. Plus, I got a giggle writing 'lover'. Also, brother and lover sort of rhyme.)

My, my, what an interesting weekend! Nearly every person I spoke with in town had an opinion about what they perceive as a scandal bursting forth over Collingwood.

Boiled down, the story that came from the CBC Friday was this: people have complained to police. Seriously, that's it so far, because the OPP won't even confirm there's an investigation underway. After this afternoon's rally, the story will become about how many people showed up at a pre-council pro-openness rally. Oh, and what they said while rallying, of course.

As I explained to a listener a couple of weeks ago, "People being angry and upset is not news. People being angry and upset and doing something about it? That's news." Three separate prongs of complaint made it a triple word score for the CBC. I'm sad at not breaking this story, but I assure you, I tried.

So the news is the complaints, and also confirmation from the parties mentioned that the mayor's brother has done business with businesses which were doing business or trying to do business with the town.

The optics are not good. The brother of the mayor consulting for companies that have dealings with the town is not against the letter of the law. Is it against the spirit of the Conflict of Interest laws? That will be up to The People to decide.

But aren't there some missing pieces to this tale? If this thing's really going to have what we in the news biz call 'legs', the private school soccer bubble mess needs to be connected somehow to the membrane covers for the old pool and new rink, the not-really proposed casino within an as-yet-unplanned resort and also, somehow, the newly demolished Mountain View Hotel, not to mention the developments stalled and restarted and stalled again. Now, that's a story I would have fun reading, and it would be good enough for a movie, French or not.

(disclaimer: the above paragraph is intended soley as satire and in no way reflects any knowledge, rumour or any other thing on my part except an attempt at humour.)

Completely Expected and yet, Disappointing

I don't know why I'm surprised and oh-so-disappointed at the reaction to Friday's news.

Oh, I'm not talking about Collingwood-gate.(Waterwood? If only Ian Adams were still blogging, he would surely have come up with a pithy name for the maybe-scandal. But last I checked, the blog connected to the Enterprise Bulletin is marked private, and the one he's been writing under his own name for the last several years has disappeared, including the archives.)

No, my disappointment is with what one of the Toronto papers is calling Tuchus-gate. Rob Ford may or may not have grabbed the butt of Sara Thomson at a fundraiser Thursday night, I really don't care.

But in 2013, is it really necessary to call a woman who claims to have been assaulted, crazy or a whore? Seriously, people, just because a woman makes an allegation against a man, must she necessarily be nuts, or a prostitute? Must she have nine witnesses for the story to be true? Must she be an opportunist or furthering some agenda? Really?

I guess I'm naive enough to think that somehow, we had grown, y'know, as a society. 30 years after 'free to be you and me', and with all the 'character' programs that are taught in our schools, I thought we somehow could maybe, maybe have come to a place where we could say things like, "I don't believe it" and that would be enough, without 'you stoopid psycho bitch' added by many of the online commenters and on-air callers.

Silly me.

Critical Masses

If I tell you a story and you tell it to a friend, and that friend tells several other people, some of whom know me and eventually, someone tells me the very same story that I told you, does that make it news?

Does it make it true?

Maybe not, but it doesn't necessarily make it untrue, either.

How many times do you have to hear the same story for you to believe it? Are there some stories you will never believe?

I'm sure some educator out there can tell me how many times a teacher has to drill something into a kid's head before they learn it.

How many times do you have to hear the same story of something-something going on in your neighbour's home before you believe it?

I bet whether you believe has to do with your relationship with the neighbour.

All this speculation comes from this, the CBC's report on allegations of possible shenanigans at town hall.

I've been hearing stories for years. What have you heard, and what do you believe?